


A Bugging Revelation

by Hotalando



Series: Core [13]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Adventure, Awkward Conversations, F/M, awkward confession?, sparkling bugs, spontaneous adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 14:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20816321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotalando/pseuds/Hotalando
Summary: After an officially spontaneous trip—or rather flight from an unpleasant interaction caused by her captain—Nami is given a present she doesn't know how to accept.





	A Bugging Revelation

“Nami, Nami!” it bellows through the forest towards her irritated ears. 

As irritated is her voice when she walks back up the path to her captain. “What?”

“Look!” he grins his toothful smile and presents some sort of insect she doesn’t know for she didn’t _look _at all. “Isn’t it awesome! So huge and flashy!”

“IT IS NOT! And you’re supposed to look for the landmarks I told you about and not for gross bugs! Don’t put it– take it out of my face– get it away!” Her voice turns hysterical at the end, almost a shriek of terror when that whatever-bug-it-is barely touched her hand. She prepares herself to punch that bug-loving idiot when his quickly changed posture halts her. 

“I’m sorry,” Luffy apologises earnestly with hung shoulders, “I thought you liked it ‘cause it sparkles.”

She watches him passing her by, her clenched fist still up and ready. Puzzled and a little ashamed, she shoves his words aside for now. 

They reach a clearing and Nami takes up the chance to find out what time of day it is. According to the position of the sun, it is still afternoon and quite some time is left before the sun would set. Hopefully by that time they will be back on the ship, however with no map or any knowledge of this island it’s harder for her to navigate them back to the harbour. 

Their situation wouldn’t be such a mess if a certain someone would master up a little more patience before bouncing off the ship and into the next brawl. Why on Earth Nami ran after him only to get caught up in the fight as well and eventually driven into escaping into the nearby forest with him—she simply can’t tell. Maybe it was his mischievous smile upon her usual rant about what he should and what he shouldn’t do in a foreign town. As much as catching her off-guard, it agitated her every cell. 

And now watching him stroll through the forest as if they were just on a hiking trip, she can’t help but wonder if he has—in one way or another, more or less, _maybe_—planned it all. Luffy is the carefree type and he knows to rely on her to find their way back—still, something seems different from all these other times. Or maybe she wants it to be.

The sun’s close to setting with no shore in sight no matter how convinced Nami is that there should be one. And it takes so much longer than she desires to get out of the forest for Luffy stops at almost everything supposedly ‘amazing!’. He never says a word, only smiles at it in his typical manner full of interest and wonder but never addresses Nami anymore. 

She demands a break to rest her sore feet and exhaustedly leans against Luffy when he settles down next to her on a fallen branch. Not much later she lightly dozes off with the heaviness of the hours and hours of walking pulling at her eyelids. Her reaction is delayed when she is pulled up against the younger man’s body, nestled between his legs as he leans against the nearest tree—she notices it all but has no power for objection. 

Inspired by her makeshift bed and sleeping companion, her mind creates the strangest dreams of diamond-like bugs and romantic captains. Sometime in the night she thinks to feel him cuddling closer but slumber takes her back too soon. 

Torn out of another of those dreams, Nami awakes hours later. A loud noise echoes in her ears, sounding much like a ball hitting the outside of her bedroom wall. Mind set on punishing the culprit for ruining her sleep, she pulls back the blankets and sits at the edge of her shared bed with Robin. Huh?

Nami looks around, her senses and vision slowly accommodating to the reality surrounding her. Back on the Sunny? But how? Wasn’t she in the forest just now? Was it all just a dream?

Standing up, she realises that she’s in her pyjamas—_who_ has changed her clothes? For the balanced and comfortable atmosphere within the crew, she hopes that it has been Robin, anyone else would gain a dent to their heads.

When she emerges from her bedroom, she finds most of the crew on deck—from relaxing in the sun to tinkering their time away—and Luffy tossing a ball to Chopper and back. There’s reaction to her appearance, especially from her captain. He throws himself towards her, perfectly landing half a step away, and smiles widely at her. 

Curious about his behaviour, she raises an eyebrow at him and folds her arms in front of her chest—a subconsciously defensive gesture, for she cannot tell what crazy idea is playing on his mind—expecting the worst. Despite having come to know him like the back of her hand, sometimes he shows sides and traits of himself she has never even imagined. Well, even someone like Luffy grows and matures up at some point, the changes their adventures and encounters has forced on him do come through in his everyday personality. To some corners of her mind and heart, it seems frightening to know that even Luffy could change. His carefree, vibrant self has always driven her towards her own most successful achievements and to the best of her own self, what will she do if it ever got lost?

The best of herself. That’s something only Luffy seems to have found. 

“Your grimace is creepy, what’s so funny?” she finally says, trying to hide behind her usual sharp mockery.

And it breaks with his joyful stance. Smile fading into a thin line, he casts his look to the ground as if to find other words to say between the planks. But there are none. “Nuthin’… ‘m just glad you’re alright.”

“’Course you idiot. I had the best captain taking care of me,” she rolls her eyes at him with an honest smile. She hates it when he sounds so small. 

The grin blinks up on his features again but it doesn’t linger for long. “I’m sorry we got into that brawl ‘n’ stuff. Should probably think more before acting… like you always say.”

“I do and you should,” Nami agrees and pokes his forehead _gently_, “But usually everything works out fine in the end… so it’s okay, I think.” Their gazes cross, creating an awkward but somewhat ticklish sensation within her belly and in his too, judging from that weird look on his face. Last night happened for sure, she has no doubts about it anymore. How will they progress from it?

“Uhm,” Luffy starts, then brings his clenched fist and whatever he’s holding into their field of vision, “I’ve found another one of those bugs and Usopp said their outer shells have real crystals and they sparkle so much… I don’t know but they remind me of you.” He opens his fist and reveals a similar bug to the golden one he showed her yesterday, just that it’s bronze and sparkles reddish in the bright sunlight. 

Albeit disgusted by it—it’s still a bug after all!—Nami takes a proper look at the shell of the obviously dead bug and is instantly captivated by its strange beauty and extravagance. Enhanced by the broad daylight, the bronze colour shines fiery orange on the highlighted spots and brownish-orange in the shadows while the red orbs aligning the length of the bug’s back sparkle in the sun rays like stars on a clear night sky. It’s not golden and most likely no part of the bug is made from such expensive minerals and metals—she supposes, she’s not an expert on _bugs_—but the idea behind its pickup from the forest is almost as valuable as gold. Almost, because it’s still weird. 

“I hope you didn’t kill that poor thing,” is all she admits to say, she doesn’t know which part of her feelings about it is what he wants to hear after all. _Not for me_, she adds in her thoughts.

Luffy shakes his head, “No. Found it when I was getting us out of the forest. It was stuck in a spider web but already dead.” When Nami scrunches up her nose at the mention of spiders, he hastily adds: “I cleaned it thoroughly or rather Usopp did. If you want it, I can ask him to dissect it.”

Nami swallows hard on the lump in her throat—it’s a stupid insect with too many legs but it’s such a thoughtful and sweet gift although _it’s a damn bug_—and thoroughly weighs all options of what to say and how to make sure she doesn’t have to keep it in her room or _field of vision at all_. She doesn’t want to disappoint him, not when he’s looking at her so expectantly, actually nervous about her response. And the message this gift is supposed to deliver to her is very much clear to her however she has to analyse it later on. 

Her answer takes a blink of an eye too long, she realises, when Luffy not only drops his hand a little—cautious not to let the item fall—and his posture most of all. The revelation that his gift isn’t reaching her the way he wanted it obviously ripping his mind apart. In order to counter his reaction, Nami grabs his hand with the bug, wraps his fingers around it gently and holds it shut with both her hands. “If it reminds you of me, wouldn’t it be better you kept it yourself? I don’t mean to leave you ever again but you know how often we get separated…”

Heavy thoughts and tight emotions leave Luffy’s lips through a deep sigh, his eyes close for the action, and a smile shapes his expression into a lighter mood. “You’re right.”

“I know I am,” Nami smiles brighter and feels a weight falling from her shoulders. Maybe it’s the now obvious mutuality of their feelings that isn’t leaning its entire weight on her back anymore. But probably—and if anyone would ever asked her about it—it’s merely and solemnly the fact that she doesn’t have to see that bug ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's very mild LuNa but I think they would be this awkward and unable to communicate their feelings in canon.


End file.
